One could easily do a CNC speed king evolution using ceramic skateboard bearings. The Axis pedal is not very far from that, although it does have different geometry (pivot points in different locations). Getting the springs out of the stanchions is probably a good idea for anti-squeaking, or at least using much bigger stanchions so that the springs can't rub. There's probably some squeak potential in the use of two springs rather than one.

I have seen speed kings screwed to a plate so that they don't fold up.

dontfeartheringo wrote:You make a biscuit out of duct tape and shim it in there and you're golden. I've made a dozen or more of those in my life. I'm happy to mail you one.

The problem I've found is getting the beater stanchions to be rigidly vertical and not at a skewed angle or wobbling back and forth, it's not the most stable assembly and can become unreliable if not exactly bolted to the hoop. The biggest problem is getting it to stick to drums which have thicker hoops rather than thinner (20 inch Tama & Sonor kick drums being particularly incompatible), the expected hoop thickness and curvature of its clamp does cause problems with being very firmly anchored to some drums, it doesn't lock onto all drums gracefully, even with shimming.

I didn't find this problem was present using the ludwig drums it was designed to work with, the stanchions become a rigid part of the shell's assembly with the pedal hanging off it. Totally reliable & secure.

"One of the painful things about our time is that those who feel certainty are stupid, and those with any imagination and understanding are filled with doubt and indecision." - Bertrand Russell

Anthony Flack wrote:Though I don't like this talk of them being easy to wishbone.

What does "wishbone" mean in this context?

I am not the person who made the original comment, but I think it's reasonable to assume that a metal component that was once straight becomes bent, inhibiting the proper functioning of the pedal. The shaft, I guess.

The shaft on my old kick pedal got all bent out of shape; can't say I was a fan of that.

Anthony Flack wrote:Though I don't like this talk of them being easy to wishbone.

What does "wishbone" mean in this context?

I am not the person who made the original comment, but I think it's reasonable to assume that a metal component that was once straight becomes bent, inhibiting the proper functioning of the pedal. The shaft, I guess.

The shaft on my old kick pedal got all bent out of shape; can't say I was a fan of that.

Excellent, thanks.

"You get a kink in your neck looking up at people or down at people. But when you look straight across, there's no kinks."
--Mike Watt

Then I imagine shoehorning it into my existing kit and my eyes go crossed.

It helps that my snare is a "side snare" http://www.zzounds.com/item--PEAETE1205MQ which has a mount I can connect to the tom hardware on top of the kick, so it sits dead center with no stand taking up floor space. Otherwise everything is normal, and VERY symmetrical.

Your response of "yes, that's perfect!" is correct. No more hunching sideways. Ride that kit straight up like a fuggin Harley.

Wasn't really a huge fan to begin with, but when looking for a new kick pedal a few years ago, the Eliminator ended up winning out over the others, so I gave it a shot.

Somewhere in time since then, one of the pins on the hinge has come out and gone missing. These are impossible to replace at a hardware store due to the long smooth section between the threads. This should be an easy part to replace, right? NOPE. HAVE to buy the entire footboard section - price = $90.

I ended up not loving this pedal anyway, the stupid gimmick plastic cams have all broken on me except for one.

Anyone want a parts pedal? Or if you have a parts pedal, would take yours.

garthplinko wrote:Just wanted to say that the Pearl brand is forever dead to me.

Wasn't really a huge fan to begin with, but when looking for a new kick pedal a few years ago, the Eliminator ended up winning out over the others, so I gave it a shot.

Somewhere in time since then, one of the pins on the hinge has come out and gone missing. These are impossible to replace at a hardware store due to the long smooth section between the threads. This should be an easy part to replace, right? NOPE. HAVE to buy the entire footboard section - price = $90.

I ended up not loving this pedal anyway, the stupid gimmick plastic cams have all broken on me except for one.

Anyone want a parts pedal? Or if you have a parts pedal, would take yours.

Not to be insulting, but have you tried emailing their support email (which I'm sure is a very shitty)? Sometimes companies will surprise you and just send you the part free.

garthplinko wrote:Just wanted to say that the Pearl brand is forever dead to me.

Wasn't really a huge fan to begin with, but when looking for a new kick pedal a few years ago, the Eliminator ended up winning out over the others, so I gave it a shot.

Somewhere in time since then, one of the pins on the hinge has come out and gone missing. These are impossible to replace at a hardware store due to the long smooth section between the threads. This should be an easy part to replace, right? NOPE. HAVE to buy the entire footboard section - price = $90.

I ended up not loving this pedal anyway, the stupid gimmick plastic cams have all broken on me except for one.

Anyone want a parts pedal? Or if you have a parts pedal, would take yours.

Not to be insulting, but have you tried emailing their support email (which I'm sure is a very shitty)? Sometimes companies will surprise you and just send you the part free.

garthplinko wrote:Just wanted to say that the Pearl brand is forever dead to me.

Wasn't really a huge fan to begin with, but when looking for a new kick pedal a few years ago, the Eliminator ended up winning out over the others, so I gave it a shot.

Somewhere in time since then, one of the pins on the hinge has come out and gone missing. These are impossible to replace at a hardware store due to the long smooth section between the threads. This should be an easy part to replace, right? NOPE. HAVE to buy the entire footboard section - price = $90.

I ended up not loving this pedal anyway, the stupid gimmick plastic cams have all broken on me except for one.

Anyone want a parts pedal? Or if you have a parts pedal, would take yours.

Not to be insulting, but have you tried emailing their support email (which I'm sure is a very shitty)? Sometimes companies will surprise you and just send you the part free.

+1

I bought one of Pearl's extra-tall snare stands recently for my rack tom, and the basket adjusts for drum size by use of these tiny screws. Mine was missing one of those screws. I got the exact part number from some PDF of theirs and contacted tech support, got a few extra a few days later for free. At least in that case, the support experience was textbook perfect.

garthplinko wrote:Just wanted to say that the Pearl brand is forever dead to me.

Wasn't really a huge fan to begin with, but when looking for a new kick pedal a few years ago, the Eliminator ended up winning out over the others, so I gave it a shot.

Somewhere in time since then, one of the pins on the hinge has come out and gone missing. These are impossible to replace at a hardware store due to the long smooth section between the threads. This should be an easy part to replace, right? NOPE. HAVE to buy the entire footboard section - price = $90.

I ended up not loving this pedal anyway, the stupid gimmick plastic cams have all broken on me except for one.

Anyone want a parts pedal? Or if you have a parts pedal, would take yours.

Not to be insulting, but have you tried emailing their support email (which I'm sure is a very shitty)? Sometimes companies will surprise you and just send you the part free.

+1

I bought one of Pearl's extra-tall snare stands recently for my rack tom, and the basket adjusts for drum size by use of these tiny screws. Mine was missing one of those screws. I got the exact part number from some PDF of theirs and contacted tech support, got a few extra a few days later for free. At least in that case, the support experience was textbook perfect.

No, no, not at all insulting. I did contact Pearl directly and they said the same thing that Sweetwater did. Here's their exact words:

"I do apologize for the issue you're having. The footboard comes from the factory with that part installed and it is nothing that we sell. The FB2000A is the replacement board for that pedal which we do have in stock. Again, I am sorry for the issue. "

$90 when all I need is a $1 pin w/ threads on the end. I can get a used one for $50, but then I'm still stuck in that same pedal w/ the stupid plastic cams anyway so screw it, I'm getting an Iron Cobra. Our old drummer had one and zero problems, zero maintenance for 10 years until he left it behind at a show.

I used to use DW but those things are not great either in my experience as they need to be tightened and checked after every session/show (and even then the hinge will still one day surprise! *BREAK* on you). It reminds me of the old joke about Harleys that you are turning wrenches while going down the road.

garthplinko wrote:Just wanted to say that the Pearl brand is forever dead to me.

Wasn't really a huge fan to begin with, but when looking for a new kick pedal a few years ago, the Eliminator ended up winning out over the others, so I gave it a shot.

Somewhere in time since then, one of the pins on the hinge has come out and gone missing. These are impossible to replace at a hardware store due to the long smooth section between the threads. This should be an easy part to replace, right? NOPE. HAVE to buy the entire footboard section - price = $90.

I ended up not loving this pedal anyway, the stupid gimmick plastic cams have all broken on me except for one.

Anyone want a parts pedal? Or if you have a parts pedal, would take yours.

Not to be insulting, but have you tried emailing their support email (which I'm sure is a very shitty)? Sometimes companies will surprise you and just send you the part free.

+1

I bought one of Pearl's extra-tall snare stands recently for my rack tom, and the basket adjusts for drum size by use of these tiny screws. Mine was missing one of those screws. I got the exact part number from some PDF of theirs and contacted tech support, got a few extra a few days later for free. At least in that case, the support experience was textbook perfect.

No, no, not at all insulting. I did contact Pearl directly and they said the same thing that Sweetwater did. Here's their exact words:

"I do apologize for the issue you're having. The footboard comes from the factory with that part installed and it is nothing that we sell. The FB2000A is the replacement board for that pedal which we do have in stock. Again, I am sorry for the issue. "

$90 when all I need is a $1 pin w/ threads on the end. I can get a used one for $50, but then I'm still stuck in that same pedal w/ the stupid plastic cams anyway so screw it, I'm getting an Iron Cobra. Our old drummer had one and zero problems, zero maintenance for 10 years until he left it behind at a show.

I used to use DW but those things are not great either in my experience as they need to be tightened and checked after every session/show (and even then the hinge will still one day surprise! *BREAK* on you). It reminds me of the old joke about Harleys that you are turning wrenches while going down the road.

I'm obviously not a real drummer, but we use my kit a lot and the used Iron Cobra I bought for $50 5 years ago at this point has been completely maintenance free. Our "real drummer" had some fancy-pants high end DW pedal ($300 ish IIRC) for 10 years that he adjusted exactly once. He did have a lower end DW before that where a screw/pin/bolt thingy busted though. I believe he had the same bullshit outcome as you.

UPDATE: I would be remiss if I didn't come back to share what apparently a 2nd-level support tech sent me in an email Monday:

Dear Garth,

I was reviewing our communications with you and I wanted to provide a little additional explanation. Your Eliminator pedal was made in our Taiwan factory, the same factory where our Masterworks drums are made. Two years ago we shifted hardware production to a different Pearl factory and replacement parts for the original Eliminator pedal are extremely limited. The specific part you are looking for is not a part that typically needs to be replaced and for that reason has never been stocked. The screw is secured with loc-tight when it is installed and this is the first time in 14 years career with Pearl that I have heard of one coming loose. I located a new Eliminator Redline pedal that had been damaged in shipping and I was able to remove the screw you need. I had to use channel locks to break it loose but I got it out and I've mailed it to you free of charge. I hope it gets you pedal back up and running.

We apologize for the inconvenience and hope this part will give you many more years of use with your Pearl pedal.

Nice to see some folks getting it right. Also glad I have achieved enough personal emotional growth to not throw the old one out in a fit of anger.

garthplinko wrote:UPDATE: I would be remiss if I didn't come back to share what apparently a 2nd-level support tech sent me in an email Monday:

Dear Garth,

I was reviewing our communications with you and I wanted to provide a little additional explanation. Your Eliminator pedal was made in our Taiwan factory, the same factory where our Masterworks drums are made. Two years ago we shifted hardware production to a different Pearl factory and replacement parts for the original Eliminator pedal are extremely limited. The specific part you are looking for is not a part that typically needs to be replaced and for that reason has never been stocked. The screw is secured with loc-tight when it is installed and this is the first time in 14 years career with Pearl that I have heard of one coming loose. I located a new Eliminator Redline pedal that had been damaged in shipping and I was able to remove the screw you need. I had to use channel locks to break it loose but I got it out and I've mailed it to you free of charge. I hope it gets you pedal back up and running.

We apologize for the inconvenience and hope this part will give you many more years of use with your Pearl pedal.

Nice to see some folks getting it right. Also glad I have achieved enough personal emotional growth to not throw the old one out in a fit of anger.

I didn't really do anything but send a whinging reply after finding out how much the entire footboard was going to be. The credit goes to the guy at the company so I sent a long reply filled with gratitude and appreciation which is about the best I can do along w/ making the update here that "hey this company did ok by me after all."